Beasts of Echo Base
by angelwithawand
Summary: Han is sure that if Chewie hadn’t already sworn a life-debt to him, he’d be swearing one to the Princess.
1. Beasts of Echo Base

**A/N: I don't own Star Wars. I just like making things Han and Leia moments. This is a slight rewrite of The Forces of Destiny episode, Beasts of Echo Base. **

Princess Leia stormed down the East Passage, eyes scanning for a seven-foot tall Wookiee. She was annoyed, because it seemed that after Chewie showed up to work his shift digging corridors, he'd simply left. It was unlike Chewie to do such a thing. Weirder still was that Han was actually out on a patrol shift, and doing his job. Any time Han was working, and Chewie wasn't was cause for concern.

And Leia was concerned. Luke, Han, and Chewie were her makeshift family now, and losing any of them would be a devastating loss. And if something happened to Chewie, Han would be crushed.

So she made her way down the corridor, the other Rebels she'd questioned quietly returning to their work.

Further down, where Chewie had been posted, various tools and machine parts were scattered around the icy ground.

"Chewie!" She called into the cavern he'd been assigned to expanding and installing a lighting system in.

Her call was answered by the soft warble of Shyriiwook.

"Chewie is that you?"

He quietly growled an affirmative answer.

"Come on R2." Leia said to the little droid at her side.

R2 directed his flashlight's beam into the cave. Leia grabbed a lantern and followed suit, illuminating the uneasy face of Chewbacca.

"Chewie are you alright?" She asked. She'd need help getting to the med-bay if he was immobilized.

"For the moment." He growled.

"Chewie what's wrong ... what is that?" The princess's gaze landed on a giant furry arm trapping her friend.

"An ice creature." She murmured worriedly. It was sleeping, but she wasn't sure how long that would last.

At that moment, her comm went off, Threepio's metallic babbling echoing loudly through the cave.

She turned it off, but it was too late. The wampa stirred, and Chewie's eyes went wild with fright, but managed to get free of the creature's grip and join R2 and Leia.

"We can't let it get into the base! You two go back and seal the door while I distract it!" As usual, her instinct to help others was at the forefront of her mind, and she'd be damned if she let the wampa kill brave soldiers.

Chewie hesitated, not crazy about leaving the princess alone with a monster at least twice her size. If anything happened to Leia on his watch, Han would kill him.

"Hurry!" She ordered. Chewie would take his chances with Han, rather than argue with the determined princess. He followed R2, and began working on sealing the door.

Meanwhile, Leia dashed around the wampa, getting its attention. Chewie grimaced as it chased her around a column of ice. Swatting a horrible claw it sent shards of ice raining down on her, forcing her to duck and cover her eyes.

"Chewie!" She yelled, "How's it going with the door?"

"Almost finished!" He howled back, as he welded the last piece of the door into place.

_Please don't die_. Chewie thought. _Han will kill me. _

Leia shrieked as the wampa clawed at her, knocking the lantern out of her grasp, and sending her skidding into the wall headfirst.

Knowing that the adrenaline would only last so long, she slid under the creature's legs, ignoring the pounding in her head, and gracefully maneuvering towards the exit.

"Hurry Chewie!"

R2 beeped at the Wookiee, who growled at the droid to be quiet, as he put a button onto the door's panel.

Leia's vision began to blur.

_Can't let it out... into the base. _

"Chewie, now!" She screamed leaping through the doorway.

Chewie pressed the button to close the door. Nothing happened.

_It doesn't have power._ Chewie realized after a few more frantic pressing of the door's hydraulic release ended in failure.

R2 beeped, and attached himself to the door's terminal, flooding the system with power.

Chewie grinned as the panel lit up, sealing the door closed just as the beast approached.

Leia sighed in relief, accepting a hug from the Wookiee as he growled his thanks.

"You're welcome, Chewie." She sighed before she blacked out completely, collapsing onto the snow.


	2. Deciding to Stay

Han Solo strode through the hangar, brushing snow off of his jacket. Snow speeder patrol was the only job on base he volunteered willingly for. It was flying, so of course he'd do it. And if the Rogues were there, it often became a chance to show off, impressive maneuvers earning bragging rights on base. Not that he needed the right to brag.

Luke jogged up next to him, and Han slowed his long strides.

"That was great." Luke laughed. The kid loved flying as much as Han did.

"Well, it would have been better if it wasn't so damn cold." The Corellian said.

"Yeah, imagine how I feel. I spent nineteen years on a desert."

Han grinned, but before he could respond, he caught sight of his co-pilot making his way towards them.

"Hey Chewie." Han said, "How was slaving away for her High and Mightiness?"

"She's hurt Han."

Han stilled, and all joy drained from his face.

"What happened?" He asked quietly.

"I was working in one of the ice caves, and was grabbed by one of those ice creatures. She came to check on me when I didn't report in. She had to rescue me."

Han sighed and stalked to the med-bay, Chewie trailing close behind.

If it hadn't been for the giant bruise on her head, Han would've thought the princess was sleeping.

He'd seen her just a few hours ago, arguing good-naturedly. The kind of battle of wits that made her brown eyes sparkle with defiance, and made him slowly fall in love with her.

"How long has she been out?" He asked.

"Only an hour." Chewie warbled.

_Only? _

Han sighed, and Chewie growled mournfully.

"It's not your fault, pal." The Corellian murmured, attempting to comfort his oldest friend.

"I would be dead if it weren't for her." The Wookiee said after a pregnant pause. "Actually, half of the personnel in that corridor would be dead if it weren't for her."

Han nodded. That was just like the princess. Self preservation wasn't her style.

"I tried to stay and help her, but the Little Princess is scary." Chewie admitted.

Han couldn't help but chuckle. Even Wookiees were scared of the not even six-foot princess.

"I know, pal. I know."

The smuggler came back a few hours later with food for Chewie, who refused to leave the sleeping princess's side. Han suspected that of Chewie hadn't already sworn a life debt to him, then Chewie would be swearing one to Leia right now.

"She still hasn't woken up?" Han asked.

"She was up a little while ago. She kept asking if the Wampa had hurt anyone."

Yep, that sounds like Leia. If it had been Han, he'd want to know where he was.

The smuggler handed his co-pilot a bowl of lukewarm soup.

"Thanks Cub."

Han gave the princess another glance before he turned to leave. Before he could take a step, he heard the sheets on the bed rustle.

"Chewie...got to get the cave sealed." Leia's breathy mumbling, made Han turn back around.

"No. No. Evacuate the corridor. Stop!"

Han kneeled by the bed, shaking the princess gently, as she stirred, her face twisted in worry.

"Princess. Princess. You're dreaming. Everything's fine, just wake up."

A few more moments of coaxing brought the princess back to reality.

She blinked her brown eyes, in an attempt to get them to focus.

"Han?" She mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"Is everyone alright? Is Chewie okay?"

She snapped to full attention, almost head-butting Han as she turned to face Chewie.

"Thank you for saving me, Little Princess." He said, bowing his head in thanks.

"Of course Chewie. But did you see a doctor, you might be hurt. I thought I said that earlier, but you don't seem to have moved."

"She's back." Han said with a smirk.

"2-1B!" Leia called, "Did you check on Chewie?"

Within two minutes Leia had the medical droid ushering Chewie to the clinic.

"You should rest." Han said, although amusement was written across his features.

"Could you hand me that water please?" She asked.

Han obliged without a fight, if only because she was wounded and had saved his best friend.

"Thanks for helping Chewie." Han said, his gratitude not hindered by his gruff tone.

"You would have been so sad if anything happened to him." Leia said, and took a sip of water. "And I would've been too."

"It's amazing that you can still be bossy after waking up from a concussion." Han said with a smile.

She rolled her eyes.

"I am not...bossy." She couldn't even finish the sentence with a straight face.

She winced, and pointed at the bottle of painkillers on the table next to her.

"Here."

"Thanks."

"So, why didn't you let Chewie help you? In the cave?"

"He knew how to get the door sealed off. I didn't. It was the best chance we had to protect the others in the corridor."

"And if you had gotten trapped in there?" He asked quietly, not liking the thought at all, and not wanting to think about why said thought made him sick.

"Everyone else would've been okay." She said.

_She is so different from me. _Han thought for the thousandth time. Although he probably would've done the same thing for Chewie. He had done something similar for Luke and Leia.

"How was patrol?" She asked.

"Cold." The Corellian deadpanned.

Leia laughed, and shook her head.

"You know, I think we'd get more recruits, if we set up shop on a beach." Han joked.

"We?" Leia asked.

_Did I say we? Sith, I did. _

"Did I say we?" He asked.

"Yes. Does that mean you're staying?"

And she looks so damn hopeful, staring at him with those brown eyes.

"Yeah." He finally said. "I get paid, even if the pay is a joke. But Chewie likes it here."

_You're here._ That's the real reason. He almost says it too, when her face lights up in a rare, genuine smile. One that he put there. But he's still Han, so he doesn't say it.


End file.
